Bathroom Installation, Part 4

I had two goals for today's bathroom construction efforts: purchase every conceivable item I might need that would not fit in my car, and to lay the plywood for the floor. The purchasing needed to be done all at once so I could rent a truck once and be done with it, and in that I mainly succeeded. We got plywood, drywall, the tub, and the tub surround. I have drywall stacked under my bed and a tub that will live in my hallway for a few months.

The Home Depot guy helped load. I can't decide if this is because I bought so much at once that I earned the white-glove service or if he thought I looked like a weakling and took pity on me.

Unloading and hauling everything upstairs was exhausting, and then we ended up moving things multiple times to get them stored in the right places. The flooring took time but was ultimately satisfying because the change was more obvious.

We ripped out all the floor boards until we had joists. This is the part where you are working very carefully- if you step between those long boards, your foot will easily pass through the insulation and ceiling tiles into the room below.

We attached the thick 3/4" subfloor with glue and screws, and then topped it with the underlayment, which needed to be nailed down with about a hundred nails per sheet. We couldn't complete all the installation, since my father and I will need to install some plumbing before making everything permanent. But if I squint I can see how it will look like a room.

This was definitely a team effort. We had remote technical support from my father, who consulted with me repeatedly in the planning and sent helpful hand-drawn diagrams. My friend K, who is recovering from the flu, handled child care at his house, which kept the chaos at a manageable level at my house. E hauled heavy stuff up the stair for hours, and N and S hauled, sawed, drilled, and nailed like the pros that they practically are.

Stay tuned for the next installment in May.

Gluttony

When I was planning my trip to Albuquerque, I told my aunt and uncle that my primary goal was to spend time with them, but secondary goals were to eat (excellent food, including green chile), drink (especially red wine), and walk outside (but not excessively).

I am pleased to report that we have succeeded spectacularly. I went walking in the hills both days, and have drunk a very good bottle of old red wine and coffee brewed two different ways. We have feasted on homemade pasta and omlettes. And tonight we finish with homemade French bread, cheese, and gelato.

I'm going to have to eat a lot of salads when I get home to make up for all of this.

March is bound to be better

     I haven't posted much in February because it hasn't been a good month and just writing a bunch of complaints sounded sad for everyone. But I can now see the light at the end of the tunnel.
     I got the flu last week and slept for three days. I would have stayed in bed longer, but I was helping to run two conferences in a row, so I just powered through. The first day I kept looking longingly at the registration table, with its floor-length tablecloth, thinking that I could just crawl under where no one could see me so I could sleep. However, by the last day I was back to my normal self, i.e. the consummate event planner.
     To add to things, Andrew's birthday was this week, which is always a miserable day for me, and Molly the cat has been sick. Just like last fall, she simply quit eating. She spent her time wandering around, complaining that she was hungry and even licking the floor for spills, but she wouldn't eat anything in her bowl. In fact, I suspect she couldn't - I would see her try to eat and the food would just fall from her mouth, as if she couldn't swallow. I resisted taking her to the vet, but because the vet couldn't find anything wrong last time. Finally, yesterday, I tried yet a different kind of food. I don't know if it was the new food or if she is recovering from whatever was ailing her, but I'm no longer debating whether I'll have to take her to be put down this week or next.*
     The best news is that in two days I'll be in Alburquerque with Aunt and Uncle de-I, where I intend to eat green chile and drink much red wine.


*I never thought I'd become one of those people who has a cat on anti-anxiety meds or buys different foods to placate their finicky eating habits. But, (1) a cat on drugs is actually a much nicer cat to have around and (2) if I think a creature is actually near starvation I will buy pretty much anything.